Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

The Day Before The Day Before Christmas

I asked Mary what she wanted for Christmas. She told me, “Nothing would make her happier than a diamond necklace,” So I bought her nothing!

It was a big day for Mary, her last day at the VA after thirty-four years.  I went to the dentist and laid down for three hours, getting a crown and three small fillings.  After the torture, I headed to the VA to walk out with Mary and make sure she was “OK.”

I walked almost all the way in and then realized I forgot the &$^%* mask!

Mary was doing OK, but a little sad, and who would not be leaving something you love to do, but the leadership became unbearable.  I snapped a shot of the back of the VA as we headed to the car.

Goodbye, old friend!

She tried to check out, but the unit secretary was 100% wrong on everything.  We ended up at the lock & key office, and they informed us that no one knows who has what keys as the locksmith retired and all the records were lost.  It sounds like the government, right?

We went to my house with Mary following me in the truck.  We called The Original Fish Company and ordered rainbow trout with veggies for lunch.  We dined at Chez Liles, having one glass of wine.

We called Colleen and talked with her for a while, which always lights up our day.  Between Colleen and Robin, they are our power sources!

I made sure Mary was “OK” before she left me.  She headed out at 2:00 PM to do a little shopping while I stayed behind and did some wash.  I headed to Mary’s about 4:00 PM and arrived within minutes of her getting home.

No Disneyland, no Catal, no Christmas play, no boat parades, zip, nada, nuttin’.

We talked for a bit and then went to The Rib Trader, where we indulged in a glass of wine and fried zucchini and buffalo wings, you know, health food!  Jim was on duty so we gabbed with him for quite a while.

She did NOT order the special tonight, thank goodness!

We departed the trader and went to David and Dianne’s for a short visit and to drop off some clam chowder we picked up for David at the Fish Company.  We had a good visit before heading home for the evening.

We got home just in time to watch “Two And A Half Men,” a good way to get the giggles going.  Mary was pooped out; partly, I think she was emotionally beat.  She headed for bed but then got her second wind, and we had some baklava courtesy of Irene Kosmetatos.  Now it was time for bed; it’s been quite a day.

Two happy people enjoying the season together!

How very true!

About Paul

Just an old retired guy trying to finish out my last years on this planet. I lost my best friend and wife in early 2020. I was blessed again by reconnecting with Dr. Mary Côté, a long-time friend. Mary and I got married July 28th, 2021, and are enjoying life together and plan to spend the rest of our lives being a blessing to our friends and family.
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